Compositional changes in cell wall polysaccharides from chilled and non-chilled cucumber fruit

Cell wall carbohydrate composition and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) content have been determined in chilled (2.5°) and non-chilled (12.5°) cucumber fruit. The major compositional change that accompanied the increased capability for ACC synthesis during chilling was a diminished loss of galactose residues, relative to the loss which occurred at 12.5°. However, the loss of galactose residues increased markedly when fruit were transferred from 2.5° to 20°, and wall galactose levels eventually declined to similar levels in both chilled and non-chilled fruit. Rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, mannose and cellulose content of walls was similar in chilled and non-chilled fruit and did not change substantially upon transfer of fruit to 20°. Upon transfer of chilled fruit from 2.5° to 20°, an increase in the relative amount of galacturonic acid in cell walls occurred; this change did not occur in non-chilled fruit. Thus, chilling stress results in a rapid change in the neutral sugar and galacturonic acid composition of cell wall pectic polysaccharides upon warming.     

Influence of cucumber mosaic virus infection on the growth response of Portulaca oleracea (purslane) and Stellaria media (chickweed) to nitrogen availability

The study characterized the influence of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) on the growth response of two annual weeds to nitrogen. Plants were grown individually along a N gradient from 4 to 32 mmol l⁻¹ and data were interpreted using growth analysis. Plant biomass increased with N concentration and was significantly higher for healthy than infected plants at the two highest N concentrations. Healthy plants of Portulaca oleracea L. were characterized by lower biomass allocation to leaves and higher biomass allocation to roots than infected plants; no change in biomass allocation was recorded for Stellaria media Vill. Relative growth rate ( rgr ), net assimilation rate ( nar ) and specific leaf area ( sla ) of plants increased with increasing N concentration. Healthy plants of P. oleracea were characterized by a higher rgr and nar and a lower sla than infected plants, whereas healthy S. media had a higher rgr but a similar nar and sla or leaf weight ratio ( lwr ) compared with infected plants. The consequences of these results on the population dynamics of weeds and virus spread are discussed.     

Properties of ascorbate oxidase isozymes

The ascorbate oxidase of two squash cultivars was resolved into five molecular forms by gel electrophoresis; that of cucumber was resolved into three forms. Molecular weight estimates by Sephadex gel filtration and interconversions of these forms strongly suggest the presence of a monomeric form of MW 30 000 for the cucumber enzyme and 35 000 for that of the squashes. The other two forms in the cucumber appear to be a dimer and a tetramer, whilst a tetramer, an octamer, a dodecamer, and a polymer of MW between 670 000 and 2 000 000 are likely to be the other four forms present in the squashes. The monomer was the most abundant form in the cucumber and the tetramer in the two squashes. The peel of these fruits was higher in activity than the flesh, but the isozyme pattern was the same in peel and flesh. The tetramer of the squashes and the dimer of cucumbers were the most resistant forms to heat inactivation. The enzyme is soluble and not associated with subcellular particles.     

Plants with spider-mite prey attract more predatory mites than clean plants under greenhouse conditions

Although many predators and parasitoids are known to respond to odours produced by plants infested with their prey under laboratory conditions, there are actually few studies that show that this response leads to higher numbers of predators or parasitoids on the plants under natural conditions. Here we study the response of predatory mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot, Acari, Phytoseiidae) to odours from cucumber plants infested with two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae Koch, Acari, Tetranychidae) in greenhouse release experiments, where predators were released in the centre of a hexagon of cucumber plants. Forty to 57% of all predators released were recaptured on plants within 7 h. Of these, an average of 79.5% were found on infested plants, indicating that these attract about 4 times as many predators as do clean plants. Hence, the blind predatory mites were guided to the plants with prey by herbivore-induced odours produced by the plant, as was indicated by olfactometer experiments, where it was found that P. persimilis preferred odours from infested cucumber plants to odours from clean cucumber plants. The long-range searching behaviour of P. persimilis is discussed.     

黄瓜茎端ABA/GA_4比值与花芽性别分化的关系(英文)

在同一环境条件下,单雌性株茎端ABA含量显著高于雌雄同株的,而GA_4水平却正好相反。 较高的ABA/GA_4比值有利于黄瓜雌性分化,反之则有利于雄性分化。促进黄瓜雄性分化的生长物质GA_3和AgNO_3会引起黄瓜茎端ABA/GA_4比值的下降,而促进其雌性分化的生长物质乙烯利(Ethrel)则会引起ABA/GA_4比值的上升。     

鹅掌楸苗期动态生命表

报道了鹅掌楸在苗圃播种后的出苗率和幼苗存活率,根据定期观察数据编制了苗期动态生命表。结果表明,4个种源的出苗率都很低(1.64%～3.05%),比其各自的饱满种子率低得多;天然种源的出苗率高于栽培的种源,但前者的出苗数占饱满种子数的比例却低于后者。至一个生长季以后,幼苗存活率仅占出苗数的16%～27%,而黄山种源与庐山种源的交配后代则高达60%,明显地高于其亲本和其它种源。种子大小对于出苗率和幼苗存活率没有直接影响。最后讨论了遗传因素和生存环境对幼苗存活的影响,并认为种子和幼苗适合度低是鹅掌楸致濒的重要原因之一。     

A Spaceflight Experiment for the Study of Gravimorphogenesis and Hydrotropism in Cucumber Seedlings

peg , on the transition zone between hypocotyl and root. Our spaceflight experiment verified that the lateral positioning of a peg in cucumber seedlings is modified by gravity. It has been suggested that auxin plays an important role in the gravity-controlled positioning of a peg on the ground. Furthermore, cucumber seedlings grown in microgravity developed a number of the lateral roots that grew towards the water-containing substrate in the culture vessel, whereas on the ground they oriented perpendicular to the primary root growing down. The response of the lateral roots in microgravity was successfully mimicked by clinorotation of cucumber seedlings on the three dimensional clinostat. However, this bending response of the lateral roots was observed only in an aeroponic culture of the seedlings but not in solid medium. We considered the response of the lateral roots in microgravity and on clinostat as positive hydrotropism that could easily be interfered by gravitropism on the ground. This system with cucumber seedlings is thus a useful model of spaceflight experiment for the study of the gravimorphogenesis, root hydrotropism and their interaction. Received 13 September 1999/ Accepted in revised form 12 October 1999     

干旱条件下钙离子对一氧化氮诱导黄瓜不定根发生的影响

以黄瓜品种‘新春4号’为材料,研究干旱胁迫下一氧化氮(NO)和钙离子(Ca²⁺)处理下黄瓜的生根指标、内源Ca²⁺荧光强度以及抗氧化酶(超氧化物歧化酶SOD、过氧化氢酶CAT、抗坏血酸过氧化物酶APX)活性,分析干旱条件下黄瓜不定根发生过程中NO和Ca²⁺之间的关系.结果表明: 200 μmol·L^-1 氯化钙(CaCl₂)和0.05%聚乙二醇(PEG)共处理显著提高了干旱条件下黄瓜不定根的根长和根数;添加Ca²⁺螯合剂(EGTA)和通道抑制剂(BAPTA/AM)处理显著降低了干旱条件下NO诱导的不定根根数和根长.干旱条件下,NO和CaCl₂处理提高了黄瓜下胚轴内源Ca²⁺荧光强度;而NO清除剂(cPTIO)处理的Ca²⁺荧光强度显著低于NO处理.干旱条件下,NO和CaCl₂处理显著提高了黄瓜下胚轴抗氧化酶活性;而Ca²⁺抑制剂或螯合剂处理显著降低了NO诱导的抗氧化酶活性.由此可见,干旱条件下Ca²⁺参与了NO调控黄瓜抗氧化酶活性,缓解了干旱胁迫对不定根形成产生的伤害,进而促进了不定根的发生.     

黄瓜幼苗光合作用对高温胁迫的响应与适应

以‘津优35号’黄瓜幼苗为试材,研究高温(HT: 42 ℃/32 ℃)和亚高温(SHT: 35 ℃/25 ℃)胁迫对黄瓜幼苗光合作用及生长量的影响.结果表明: 高温、亚高温明显抑制幼苗生长.随着胁迫时间的延长,黄瓜幼苗叶片的光合速率(P_n)逐渐降低,胞间CO₂浓度(C_i)趋于升高,气孔导度(g_s)、蒸腾速率(T_r)、光呼吸速率(P_r)和暗呼吸速率(D_r)先上升后下降,高温、亚高温引起P_n降低的主要原因是非气孔限制.高温、亚高温可使黄瓜幼苗叶片的暗下光系统Ⅱ最大光化学效率(F_v/F_m)、光下实际光化学效率(Φ_PSII)、光化学猝灭系数(q_P)和电子传递效率(ETR)显著降低,初始荧光(F_o)和非化学猝灭系数(NPQ)逐渐升高.随着胁迫时间的延长,HT处理的RuBP羧化酶(RuBPCase)和Rubisco活化酶(RCA)活性及其mRNA表达量逐渐降低,而SHT处理的胁迫初期变化不大,3 d后趋于降低;HT和SHT处理的景天庚酮糖-1,7-二磷酸酶(SBPase)和果糖-1,6-二磷酸醛缩酶(FBA)活性与mRNA表达均呈先升高后降低趋势.可见,适宜光强下短时亚高温处理黄瓜幼苗不会产生明显光抑制,高温胁迫会对其PSⅡ反应中心造成严重损伤;光合酶受高温胁迫诱导,但其诱导效应与温度升高幅度和高温持续时间有关.     

Construction of a cucumber genetic linkage map with SRAP markers and location of the genes for lateral branch traits

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. 2n = 2x = 14), thatbelongs to Cucurbitaceae family, is one of majorvegetables with a planting area second to that of to-mato in the world[1]. Due to its economical importanceplant breeders and geneticists have paid much atten-tion to the genetic study on this important vegetablecrop, but the research progress in cucumber is muchless than that in tomato. In 1990, Pierce[2] reviewed allthe reported genes of cucumber that had been geneti-cally analyzed since the 1930…